Imagine this, you are standing in a massive arena packed with thousands of cheering spectators on the edge of their seats in anticipation of your next move. Countless cameras are pointed at you, broadcasting your performance to millions around the world. This is the moment you have spent several hours a day training for and numerous nights lying awake in bed dreaming of. It is finally the moment where all of your goals, aspirations, and wildest fantasies become an astonishing reality. It suddenly sinks in, and you are overcome with a whirlwind of emotions: pride, joy, awe, and gratitude. These are the feelings known by all of the insanely talented athletes when all of their hard work and perseverance earns each of them a spot to compete in the Olympics.

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the Summer Olympics. The Olympics have been a tradition dating back to ancient Greece. Although these modern-day Olympic games only take place once every four years, I think that makes them more special. It's not something that is taken for granted every summer but rather a worldwide, historical event that millions of people look forward to every four years. I love watching every single event in the Olympics, no matter what sport it is or whose teams are competing. It's so beautiful to see the proud look on family members' faces as their loved ones compete. When I watch the tears stream down the faces of the Olympians receiving their medals and saluting to their national anthem, I myself get emotional and teary eyed. Even though I do not know these athletes personally, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride and joy for them. They worked so hard to get where they are, and it is so beautiful to see them get recognition and respect for their lifetime of dedication and athletic excellence. Even those who do not win a medal are still considered winners in my eyes. Just making it to the point of competing in the Olympics is a victory in its own right. Most importantly though, my favorite part about the games is the fact that the Olympics serve as a strong symbol of solidarity among humanity.

For those of you who don't know, there is much meaning behind the design of the logo for the Olympics. This logo is a white background with five intertwined rings in the center. These rings represent the five inhabited continents in which the athletes come from and the six colors symbolize at least one color that is in each nation's flag.

To me, there could not have been a better design. My favorite part about the Olympics is that it brings together humanity as a whole, and that's exactly what the logo represents. It doesn't matter what your ethnicity, race, sexuality, gender, or religious beliefs are. The only thing that matters is the talented athletes coming together from all over the world, exercising their abilities and supporting one another in their shared passions. You don't need to speak the same language as someone else to understand and appreciate a person's hard work, dedication, and God-given talent. These olympians prepare their whole lives for this event and invest countless hours, blood, sweat, and tears to get to the position they are in today. Several of them have overcome many personal obstacles and struggles just to get to that point, a point the average person doesn't get the opportunity to do. That is truly something that deserves to be admired and commended.

Although I am extremely proud of my country and all of the achievements and medals won by Team USA, I also love to cheer on people from other countries. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing Michael Phelps continue to break records in men's swimming, Simone Biles nail her gymnastics routines, and Helen Maroulis become the first woman from Team USA to win olympic gold for women's wrestling (and that's just to name a few of the many talented athletes from Team USA). However, I also love to see people like Usain Bolt of Jamaica flash like a bolt of lightening winning Olympic gold in track and the intense pride the country of Fiji felt when their team won their first ever men's rugby sevens gold medal. I love to see people take pride in their own country's athletes but also to give respect and appreciation to the accomplishments and successes of those from other countries. So yes, I am Team USA, but I am also Team Humanity. When I see people from opposing teams give each other congratulatory hugs, high-fives, and handshakes it simply warms my heart. People deserve credit where credit is due, regardless of where you are from.

It is especially rewarding and inspiring to see people from all these countries coming together for such a huge event amid all of the tragedies and terrorist attacks that have been plaguing this world. At the end of the day, we are all human. We should concentrate our efforts on coming together in celebration of each other's differences, strengths, and abilities. We should build each other up and support one another, especially in times of hardships and pain. When one country is hurting, the whole world is hurting. It is because of events like the Olympics that restore my faith in humanity. It helps me to remember that there are still good people out there. Although at times it may feel like the world is only full of hate and like humanity is disconnected, this is not the case. Like the Olympic rings, we are all linked together in an unbreakable bond with the one simple fact that unites us: the fact that we are all human.

So with the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics coming to a close, I hope the message of solidarity continues to spread. I want people to keep in mind that we are all one and the same at the core. We share similar dreams, and we work best when we work together. I would like to congratulate all of the athletes from all of the countries who competed in the 31st Olympiad as well as all of the athletes who competed in all of the previous ones. They not only share their athletic gift with the world, but they also inspire countless others to follow their passions. I would also like to wish the best of luck to all of the future olympians who are in the midst of preparing for the 2020 Olympics to be hosted in Tokyo. Even though it is four years away, I know it will be another incredible historic event overflowing with unbelievable talent, new records, and new victories. I can hardly wait.